Eight persons were feared drowned even as seven others were rescued when four vehicles carrying a wedding party drowned in a local 'khud' in Haripurkhol village of Paonta Sahib block of Himachal on Saturday morning.
Four vehicles, carrying members of a marriage party, were trapped in the flash flood in a rivulet due to heavy rains at Haripur Khol village in Paonta Sahib, said Sirmour deputy commissioner PS Chauhan, adding that eight people were missing.
The vehicles got trapped in the rivulet swollen with water following the heavy rain in the region. Chauhan, along with superintendent of police Rameshwar Singh Thakur, rushed to the spot.
Massive search operations had been launched and police and home guard jawans were deployed to trace the missing people, but the chances of their survival were bleak, a senior official said.
There were around 20 people inside the vehicles; and most of them managed to save themselves, leaving eight, who were still missing, Paonta Sahib DSP NS Negi said.
Those washed away in the flash flood have been identified as Babu Ram, 70; Gurdyal Singh, 18; Mohinder, 16; Babu Ram, 50; Dakinder, 23; Gangbir, 19; Hussain Singh, 25, and Rashpal Singh.
Later, one body was recovered 30 km downstream in the neighbouring Yamunanagar district of Haryana. SP Rameshwar Thakur said the recovered body was identified to be that of Hussain Singh. He said that following the rain in the region in the evening, the search operation had to be abandoned. One of the vehicles was still missing, he added. (With inputs from PTI)
{{/usCountry}}Later, one body was recovered 30 km downstream in the neighbouring Yamunanagar district of Haryana. SP Rameshwar Thakur said the recovered body was identified to be that of Hussain Singh. He said that following the rain in the region in the evening, the search operation had to be abandoned. One of the vehicles was still missing, he added. (With inputs from PTI)
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